I sent a note saying we would pass this year; you brought it up. This was always a set-up to fuck Dan over once again.” Laura just stared; she knew ...here wasn’t much more she could say; there was no good way to tell Dan she wanted everything her way at the expense of Dan, his family, or hers. “How long have you had your ticket, did you buy it before we bought the tickets to come here?” “No, I don’t think so, but it doesn’t matter. I was always planning to go to Stowe with Greg. I probably. I stripped the bushwhacker of his valuables, and that included everything but his pants. There was too much shit for me to want to bother washing out, so I left them. The wild hogs and coyotes would have a banquet with this one.I was pretty sore when I got to Sweet Water, and I was barely able to make it up the steps to Mr. Schmidt's gun shop. He could tell that I was in pain the moment that I entered his shop. He got the story out of me and insisted that I come home with him. I demurred, but. ”“That’s good,” he says brushing her cheek with his hand as he stands back up. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get home.”“Though case?”“Yeah, a woman in an alley. We got the guy and he is going to get nailed hard for it.”“What happened?”“Guy raped and then stabbed her to death,” Jonathan answers with a frown. “Bad thing is her little girl watched it all happen.”“That poor girl,” she says sullen.“I shouldn’t have said that,” he admonishes himself. “Bad way to ruin your day.”“It is what it is I guess,”. After her mum passed away 3 years ago, everything that meant anything previously lost its luster. Except watching Ferdinand. He had just had another spectacular run in the next tournament, picking up the best player award. Every game he triumphed, she felt as if she shared in it too. But lately even that fell away. She had gone on dates occasionally, but it felt forced again and she hated volunteering information about herself so most dates went nowhere. Physically as well she didn’t liked.